Process of gas generation with propellant additive

ABSTRACT

THE USE OF O-METHYLHYDROXYLAMINE AS AN ADDITIVE TO EXOTHERMALLY DECOMPOSING MOMOPROPELLANTS TO PROMOTE THE REACTION WITH AND OXIDIZING AGENT IN A GAS GENERATION SCHEME.

United States Patent Oflice 3,623,327 Patented Nov. 30, 1971 3,623,327PROCESS OF GAS GENERATION WITH PROPELLANT ADDITIVE William A. Duncan,Huntsville, Billy J. Sandlin, Athens, and James A. Murfree, Jr.,Huntsville, Ala., assignors to the United States of America asrepresented by the Secretary of the Army N Drawing. Original applicationJuly 5, 1967, Ser. No. 651,325. Divided and this application Oct. 28,1968, Ser. No. 772,069

Int. Cl. C06d /10 US. Cl. 60-219 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Theuse of O-methylhydroxylamine as an additive to exothermally decomposingmonopropellants to promotethe reaction With an oxidizing agent in a gasgeneration scheme.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a division ofapplicants copending application Ser. No. 651,325, filed July 5,. 1967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a propellantadditive and in particular to one used in a gas generation schemeemploying an exothermally decomposing monopropellant, a suitableoxidizing agent and a porous support material that supports theoxidizing agent, and as more specifically disclosed in application Ser.No. 651,654, filed July 7, 1967 by applicants.

There is considerable interest in the rocket propulsion industry in thedevelopment and use of liquid monopropellant gas generators. Althoughthe majority of work in this field has been in catalytic decompositionschemes, recent attention has been focused on one-shot schemes of gasgeneration utilizing a liquid monopropellant and an inert bed orsupport. In these schemes, the monopropellant reacts with the initiatorto start decomposition, gen, erate heat, and heat the support which,when heated, thermally sustains the decomposition.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to improve theone-shot gas generation scheme.

Another object of this invention is to improve the burning rates andproperties of propellants for use in liquid monopropellant gasgenerators.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been discovered that methoxylamine (CHONH more properly known as O-methylhydroxylamine, when used as anadditive to hydrazine or other exothermally decomposing monopropellantsand when used in liquid gas generators, results in a much more vigorousand faster ignition with an initiator (oxidizing agent).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As an example, the reaction ofhydrazine containing 50% methoxylamine by weight with both iodic acidand iodic anhydrlde is more rapid and more vigorous than thecorresponding reaction with pure hydrazine.

The synergistic eifect of the additive reduces ignition delay uponfiring.

Examples of suitable oxidizing agents are iodic acid and iodicanhydride.

The monopropellant must be an exothermally decomposing type so that whendecomposed, it liberates heat which raises the temperature of theenvironment such that the exothermal decomposition of the monopropellantis maintained thermally.

Preferably, the propellant incorporating the O-methylhydroxylamineshould contain 25% to 75% O-methylhydroxylamine by weight (inhydrazine).

We claim:

1. A process of producing gases with a liquid gas generator, saidprocess comprising suspending an oxidizer selected from iodic acid andiodic anhydride in an inert bed, and bringing an exothermallydecomposing monopropellant consisting of a mixture of hydrazine andO-methylhydroxylamine into contact with said oxidizer suspended in saidinert bed to cause said oxidizer and monopropellant to immediately uponcontact react vigorously to produce the desired gases and at the sametime reduce ignition delay in the liquid gas generator.

2. A process of producing gases as set forth in claim 1, said mixturecontaining from about 25 to about 75 by weight of O-methylhydroxylamine.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,925,709 2/ 1960 Mantell et a1218 X 2,930,184 3/1960 Plescia et al. 60-218 X 3,021,667 2/ 1962 Gritfinet al 60218 3,117,415 1/1964 Greene 60215 BENJAMIN R. PADGETT, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

